Machine for breaking and decorticating bast fibers



MACHINE FOR BREAKING AND DECORTIGATING EAST FIBERS Filed March 17, 1937 2 sheets sheet 1 D. E. DE LAPE Filed March i7, 195? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 1G, E938.

MACHINE FOR BREAKING AND DECORTICATING EAST, FIBERS Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR BREAKING AND DECORTI- CATING BAST FIBERS David E. De Lape, Pasadena, Calif.

Application March 17, 1937, Serial No. 131,383

8 Claims. 7 (01. 1922) My invention relates to a machine for breaking and decorticating bast fibers, and while it is of general application, it is especially intended for use in the treatment of ramie or China grass.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine simple of construction and efficient in operation whereby the fibers of rainie and similar material may be decorticated in a minimum of time and without injury to the fiber.

In particular, my invention contemplates the construction of a stationary floor, preferably inclined in the direction of the travel of the ma terial treated, said floor being provided with a series of spaced parallel teeth arranged transversely to the line of travel of the material. A stationary guide frame is arranged above the floor in which a plurality of heaters are slidably mounted. Each heater is provided with independent springs tending to move the same toward the floor. On each side of the guide frame a beater operating bar is disposed which engages fingers laterally extending from the beaters, said operating bars being lifted to engage the fingers and raise the heaters and then by a quick return movement permitting the heaters to strike with considerable force the material passing along the fioor.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing two of the machines arranged in series with a waste material separator interposed between the two machines.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine with parts broken away for clearness of illustration.

Fig. 3 is a vertical, longitudinal section.

Fig. 4 is a. section on the line 4- of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

The two machines illustrated in Figure 1 arranged on different levels are connected in series with a separator interposed between. These two machines are exactly alike in construction and the description of one will apply to both.

The machine is mounted on a base foundation of concrete or the like I 0. On account of the violent vibrations it is essential that a firm foundation be provided. The frame of the machine is securely anchored thereto by angle irons ll and comprises a pair of parallel side walls l2 between which a strong floor I3 is built. The floor !3 consists of a series of wooden planks 14 arranged on edge and held together by rods l5 which have their ends secured in the side walls l2.

As shown in the drawings, the foundation l0 and the machine mounted thereon is inclined downwardly and rearwardly. The top of the floor I3 is faced with a metal sheet 2i and shaped to provide a plurality of teeth l6, each tooth comprising an upper face I1 disposed horizontally and which starts from the bottom of the short vertical face I8 of the tooth preceding except the first tooth at the intake chute 20. The teeth are arranged transversely to the line of travel of the material to be treated. The lower end of the floor l3 connects with a delivery chute 22 for conveying the treated fiber from the machine.

A stationary guide frame 23, preferably made of wood, is secured to the floor l3 and comprises a pair of vertical side members 25 to which pairs of metal bars 24 are secured with their upper ends projecting upwardly therefrom. The upper ends of each pair of bars 24 are slotted at 24 to which a U-shaped metal frame 34 is secured by means of bolt 35. Fast to and disposed between the side members 25 a series of guide boards 26 is arranged, the boards being equally spaced from each other providing vertical slots therebetween in which heaters 28 are slidably mounted. The beaters are preferably made of wood with the grain disposed vertically and at right angles to the bottom edge 28'. In order to prevent splitting transversely to the grain of the wood, each beater 28 is provided with a transverse metal rod 29 the ends of which are countersunk therein, one end being provided with a head 29 and a nut 29 at the other. At the top of each beater there is a wooden bar 30 joined thereto by a dovetailed construction 3|, the grain of the wooden bar 3|] being in the direction of the length of the bar. Each beater 28 is provided with a pair of laterally extending fingers 3| preferably made of metal rods having their inner ends screwed into the sides of the beater 28, said fingers at 3| being arranged at opposite sides'of the beater and at some distance from the lower edge thereof and projecting through slots 25' in side members 25.

Secured to and extending upwardly from each .50 beater 28 and fastened to the wooden bar 30 is a pair of guide rods 32. The upper ends of the guide rods 32 pass through perforated bars 33 extending parallel to the side members 25 of the guide frame 23. The bars 33 engage transversely disposed cushioning beams which secure the underface of the horizontal portion of the U- shaped metal frame 34. Each rod 32 is encircled by a helical spring 36 interposed between the perforated bar 33 and the wooden bar 30 of the heaters 28, the springs 36 tending to move the heaters 28 downwardly toward the floor l3. The beaters 28 are arranged in sets of three, each set engaging one tooth I! of the floor. It should be noted that the last beater of each set has its lower end pointed as at 31, to provide a sharp edge while the other two beaters have their lower ends square. On account of the angular inclination of the beaters 28 the square faces of the beaters will strike the horizontal face of tooth I! at a slight angle while the pointed end 31 will pass closely adjacent the vertical edge [8 of the tooth. In this manner, each beater 28 will strike the material passing along the floor [3 with an edge instead of its entire face in its action to decorticate the bast fiber.

The mechanism for operating the beaters 28 is as follows:

A pair of operating bars 38 one on each side of the guide frame 23 is provided and the forward and rear ends are united by transverse connecting rods 39 provided with antifriction rollers M engaging the front and rear faces, respectively, of the side members 25 of guide frame 23. These operating bars 38 are given an upward and quickreturn downward movement by means of a pair of quick-return earns 42 arranged to engage the underface of the forward and rear ends of each bar 38. These cams, as seen on Fig. 2, are rotated in a clockwise direction and their construction is such that as the cam rotates the convex face 42' of the cam will gradually raise or lift the bars 38 until it reaches the extreme end of the convex face 42' when the bars will be moved downwardly quickly by the action of springs 36 operatively connected to the fingers 3|. The cams 42 are operated by a pulley M deriving its power from a source (not shown). The cams 42 at the rear end of the machine are fast to shaft 43 on which pulley 44 is mounted. A sprocket wheel 46 also fast to shaft 43 is operatively connected to shaft 41 to which the forward cams 42 are mounted by means of chain and sprocket wheel 58.

Operation The material tobe decorticated such as ramie, and the like, is fed down the intake chute 20 onto the floor 13. The operating bars 38 in their upward movement engage the lateral fingers 3| of the beaters 28 and lift the same against the tension of the springs 36. As soon as the cams pass the extreme upper lifting movement to permit the operating bars 38 to fall freely, the beaters 28 would be forced downwardly under the action of the springs 36 and strike the ramie a sharp b-low with an edge of the lower face of the heaters as previously explained. It should be noted that those beaters which engage the ramie adjacent the vertical section 3 of the teeth It will not only bend and break the hast and pithy portions of the material but cause a slight for ward movement. In addition thereto, a certain amount of vibration of the machine is unavoidable and due to the inclination of the floor l3 toward the delivery chute 22, the material will move in that direction so that no other means for conveying the material through the machine is necessary. The tension of the spring 36, and therefore the force of the blow of the beaters 28 may be adjusted as desired by the slotted 'connection between the U-shaped frame member 34 and the vertical bars 24.

It is advisable to arrange the machines in sets of two connected in series as shown in Fig. 1, and to interpose a separator 48 between them so that the delivery chute 22 of the first machine will convey the treated material to the separator 48. The separator ordinarily consists of longitudinal slots and a reciprocating tooth conveyor 49 conveying the fibers onto the intake chute 20 of the second machine but causing the waste material consisting of the woody particles, pith, and the like, to pass through the separator. By this arrangement the action of the beaters of the second machine is at its maximum efficiency not being interfered with by any pithy particles except those which still adhere to the fibers.

It should also be noted that the beaters 28 are independently mounted for downward movement by the action of independent springs 36 so that each beater irrespective of the amount of material that it strikes exerts its maximum force. This would not be the case if all the beaters were connected and operated as a unit.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for breaking and decorticating bast fibers, comprising an inclined stationary floor provided with a plurality of teeth arranged transversely to the movement of the material to be treated, a feeding chute for delivering material to the floor and a delivery chute conveying 0 treated material from the floor, a stationary beater guide frame above the floor and provided with a series of guide slots, a series of beaters separately mounted for independent downward movement and adapted to strike the floor and mounted for slidable movement in the guide slots, each beater being provided with a pair of fingers laterally projecting from opposite sides of the guide frame, separate spring means connected to each beater and mounted in the guide frame and tending to move the heaters toward the floor, a pair of vertically reciprocating Operating bars arranged on opposite sides of the guide frame and engaging the lower side of the fingers, cam members to move the operating bars upwardly against the tension of the springs, said cams being so constructed as to permit a quick-return movement of the operating bars by the spring means to force the beaters with a striking blow against the floor.

2. A machine for breaking and decorticating bast fibers, comprising an inclined stationary floor provided with a plurality of transverse teeth and having a feeding chute at one end and a delivery chute at the other, a stationary beater guide frame above the floor and provided with a series of guide slots, a series of beaters separately mounted forindependent downward movement and adapted to strike the floor and mounted for slidable movement in the guide slots, each beater being provided with a pair of fingers laterally projecting from opposite sides of the guide frame, spring means mounted in the guide frame tending to move the beaters toward the floor, a pair of vertically reciprocating operating bars arranged on opposite sides of the guide frame and engaging the fingers, and means for operating the operating bars.

3. A machine for breaking and decorticating bast fibers, comprising a stationary floor provided with a plurality of transverse teeth. a stationary beater guide frame above the floor, a series of heaters separately mounted for independent downward movement and adapted to strike the floor and mounted for slidable movement in the guide frame, separate spring means for each beater tending to move the heaters toward the floor, a pair of vertically reciprocating operating bars arranged on opposite sides of the guide frame and operatively connected to the heaters to lift them upwardly against the tension of the spring means, and means for operating the operating bars. l

4. A machine for breaking and decorticating hast fibers, comprising a solid stationary fioor provided with a plurality of transverse teeth, a stationary beater frame above the fioor, a series of heaters independently mounted for downward movement in the guide frame and adapted to strike the floor, independent spring means for each beater to move the same toward the floor and means for lifting the heaters upwardly against the tension of the spring means and permitting the heaters to move downwardly independent of each other.

5. A machine for breaking and decorticating hast fibers, comprising a solid stationary floor provided with a plurality of transverse teeth, a stationary heater guide frame above the floor, a series of heaters adapted to strike the fioor and mounted in said guide frame, spring means mounted in the guide frame and tending to move the heaters toward the floor, and means for lifting the heaters upwardly against the tension of the spring means and permitting the heaters under the action of the spring to strike a quick blow against the floor.

6. A machine for breaking and decorticating hast fibers, comprising an inclined stationary floor provided with a plurality of transverse teeth, each tooth having a substantially horizontal portion and a smaller vertical portion, a heater guide frame above the floor, a series of heaters slidably mounted in the guide frame, the lower ends of the beaters being shaped to strike the fioor edgewise, springs mounted in the guide frame tending to move the heaters toward the floor, a pair of vertically reciprocating operating bars arranged on opposite sides of the guide frame operatively connected to the heaters to lift them against the tension of the springs and to permit them under the action of the springs to move downwardly to strike a blow against the floor.

7. A machine for breaking and decorticating hast fibers, comprising a stationary floor provided with a plurality of transverse teeth,' a heater guide frame above the floor, a series of heaters mounted for independent downward movement and adapted to strike the floor edgewise and mounted for slidable movement in the guide frame, spring means tending to move the heaters toward the floor and vertically reciproeating means arranged on opposite sides of the guide frame and operatively connected to opposite sides of the heaters for lifting them against the action of the spring means and permitting them to strike a downward blow against the floor.

8. A machine for breaking and decorticating hast fibers comprising in combination a solid stationary floor having a downward inclination from its upper toward its lower end, the floor being provided with a series of teeth, each tooth having an upper face disposed substantially horizontally and a vertical face, the vertical face being materially of less measurement than the horizontal upper face, the horizontal face or a lower tooth terminating at the lower end of the vertical face of the next higher tooth, a series of stationary guide boards, a heater board positioned between adjacent guide boards, the guide boards having plane surfaces and being mounted at a slight tilt to the vertical, certain of the beater boards having square ends and others having pointed ends, means for lifting the beater boards upwardly, independent springs connected between each beater board and a fixed structure and compressed on the upward movement of its beater board, the beater board being thrust downwardly by the reaction of the spring, the beater boards with square ends being adapted to engage material on the horizontal fiat faces of a tooth and the beater boards with the sharp edges being adapted to engage the material adjacent the vertical face of a tooth.

D. E. DE LAPE. 

